Four tips to break your distance barrier

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Sat, April 21, 2018 | 16:43

Golf

Four tips to break your distance barrier

Posted : 2017-11-08 14:28

Updated : 2017-11-08 18:26

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

By adding only 10 to 15 yards to your shots, you will enjoy your golf game much more. Increasing distance takes time. You will rarely increase your distance without pain and patience. Every golfer faces her or his distance barrier. Breaking your distance barrier can be torture. But several tips here will help you realize your hope to cross the barrier.

Unleash your weight into the shot

Don't leave your weight on your right foot to catch your ball on the upswing. Granted, when you hit your driver off the tee, you need to hit up on your ball. To this end, you need to keep your weight on your right foot when you hit your ball.

Still, to create more power, you need to shift your weight onto your left foot. Granted, you need to keep your head and upper body behind the ball.

You need to stay clear about proper weight shift to your left foot on the downswing. You should know weight shift does not mean lunging forward ahead of your ball. You need to make sure you keep your upper body back behind your lower body until well after you complete ball-striking.

To this end, think of turning your left hip toward the target as you start your downswing. That helps you properly shift your weight forward, allowing you to move your lower body only. You will leave your upper properly behind your ball. This encourages you to swing your club full tilt through the ball.

That is, you need to use your body weight to hit your ball longer. Or rather, you need to unleash your weight into your shots. That way you can move your club faster without thinking about hitting harder.

So, take care to shift your weight left, but stay behind the ball until well after your weight pours into your ball. Then, you will hit your ball properly with an upward blow, sending your ball far to your satisfaction.

Track the ball with your eyes

Keeping your head down creates tension in your hands and arms. That restricts you from swinging your club freely through the ball. This prevents you from swinging into a full, balanced finish with your weight correctly on your left foot.

To hit your ball longer, you'd better apply your mind to following your ball with your eyes. Focusing on tracking your ball with your eyes, you will naturally rotate your head toward the target during the follow-through. This purges you of your tension, promoting good body rotation. You will eventually enjoy solid, powerful contact, sending your ball farther with less effort.

Importantly, aiming to turn your head helps you swing your club on a shallow plane into the ball. You will let the sole of your club slide along the turf so you can pick the ball up cleanly. With your irons, you will stop mistakenly snagging your club deeply in the grass. Let your head rotate as you swing through the ball. Or track your ball with your eyes once you've hit your ball. This is a great move helping you increase your power and distance. You will hit your ball far enough.

Feel the butt end of your grip slow down through impact

To speed up your clubhead to your maximum, you need to stop moving your grip end through the ball. That allows you to unhinge your wrists fully and increase your clubhead speed to the full. That also lets your arms and clubface turn properly so you can hit your ball accurately toward your intended target.

Take your address posture with your 7-iron. Then, separate your hands five to six inches on your club handle. Practice swinging your club back and forth as you hit balls. You'll naturally keep your club to the inside on the downswing. Importantly, you will feel your left arm fold against your side as you swing through.

More important, you'll feel the cap of your grip slow down into impact as your right arm rotates over. Indeed, to increase your clubhead speed to your maximum, you need to stop moving the butt end of your grip. Roughly waist-high during the follow-through, the cap of your club handle will point toward your navel.

That's exactly what should happen in your normal, full swing. To speed up your clubhead speed to your maximum, you need to slow down your grip.

Push against the ground to create more power

To hit your ball longer, you need to stay connected to the ground from address till the end of your ball-striking. You cannot create power without using the ground. There is no way you can increase your swing speed to your maximum unless you use the ground effectively.

When you swing your club down into the ball, you create energy by pushing off the ground. Your energy moves upward through your feet, legs and torso, finally reaching your club through your arms, wrists and hands.

Complete your backswing by moving your weight on your right side. Shifting weight to your right side means pushing against the ground with your right foot.

Then, picture a knife-hand break in taekwondo with your left hand to start your downswing. You will stand more on your left foot, keeping your head steady behind the ball. More important, you will automatically let your arms drop to slot your club into the proper downswing path. You will purge your mind of an urge to hit hard from the top. This says you will preserve the 90-degree wrist angle and unleash your power fully at a timely moment.

Simply put, you will start your downswing by shifting your weight left or rather pushing against the ground with your left foot. That allows you to have a firm, stable footing. This encourages you to pull your left arm properly across your chest as fast as you want without losing your balance. You will enjoy hitting solid, powerful shots. You will whack your ball dead on the sweet spot.

Pick up your driver and make several practice swings with your eyes closed. Just picture you're carrying out a knife-hand brake in taekwondo or karate chop. Try to feel how your feet apply pressure against the ground as you speed up your club to your maximum. That's the feel you need to copy when you swing for real.

kimjstar@hanmail.net